Pontual shoe factory closure leaves 60 workers unemployed in Vila Nova de Gaia

The Pontual shoe factory in the Avintes parish of Vila Nova de Gaia was shut down after the company filed for insolvency, leaving about 60 employees without jobs. Workers were not paid their July salaries or vacation subsidies, prompting the left‑wing parties Bloco de Esquerda (BE), the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and the Socialist Party (PS) to submit parliamentary questions demanding urgent government intervention. BE deputy Fabian Figueiredo highlighted that the firm, founded in 1948 and supported by €37,120 from the national Recovery and Resilience Plan, is in breach of labour obligations. PCP deputy Alfredo Maia noted that many staff had long tenures, with some employed for 45 years, and asked what steps the authorities would take to ensure immediate payment of owed wages and to address the collective dismissal.

The parties called for rapid action by the Directorate‑General for Employment and Labour Relations and other competent bodies to enforce compliance with labour law and protect the workers’ rights and livelihoods.